GEORGE TOWN: Former Penang deputy chief minister II Dr P. Ramasamy has been cooperating with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in going through old minutes of Penang Hindu Endowments Board (PHEB) meetings.
Ramasamy was asked to explain the procurement process for the Golden Chariot during his tenure as chairman.
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Ramasamy was at the MACC office here at 10am on Thursday (Dec 5) and will return to speak to them again later in the day.
"I left for lunch after meeting with MACC and will go back to further verify some documents.
"I understand almost all the PHEB commissioners from 2017 till 2023 have been called to verify the minutes," he said.
On Wednesday (Dec 4), Ramasamy had said MACC wanted details of the chariot purchase for the Waterfall Hilltop Temple.
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He had visited the MACC office that day to ask why he had been prevented from boarding a flight to Banda Aceh.
He missed a planned trip to Indonesia as he was barred from leaving the state.
Instead, he spent two hours at the MACC office and was instructed to return for further questioning.
The travel ban, imposed at MACC’s directive, disrupted Ramasamy's plans to receive a peace award from Wali Nanggroe Aceh for his efforts in brokering peace between Jakarta and Acehnese independence groups.
The MACC investigation of PHEB has picked up steam with several former commissioners being called up for questioning over the past few weeks.
The annual Thaipusam chariot procession has been an issue of contention between PHEB and the Chettiars ever since the board rolled out the golden chariot in 2017.
The move was seen as challenging the more than century-old monopoly of the silver chariot operated by the Nattukottai Chettiars.
Since then, there have been two chariots making the trip from Little India to the temples in Jalan Kebun Bunga.
Earlier on Thursday, it was reported that a former PHEB director had been remanded for six days in connection with an MACC investigation.
